Marc Burchard is associate director of championships at the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). To gain some insight into how the NAIA is looking to grow flag football at its member schools, TeamInsightExtra writer Mike May sat down for a Take Five with Burchard.

TeamInsightExtra:  Have there been any discussions with the NCAA about expansion of flag football from NAIA to the NCAA?

Marc Burchard:  There have not been any direct conversations; however, some NCAA conferences have recognized the growth of women’s flag football and replicated the model used to launch NAIA Women’s Flag Football – Atlantic East Conference/Women’s Flag Football

How supportive of NAIA women’s flag football has the NFL been?

The NFL, along with RCX, have tremendously supported NAIA women’s flag football. Both have been involved with building the framework for the sport, outlining competitive guidelines when it began, and supported hosting the NAIA Women’s Flag Football Finals.

What kind of support has the NFL provided to flag football at the NAIA level?

Financial assistance for schools starting women’s flag football through stipends to aid in the on-boarding process of the sport and provided resources available to institutions to launch the sport operationally.

Is the NAIA planning to host another end-of-season tournament/championship in Atlanta?

Yes, the NAIA is working with RCX to finalize the dates of the 2024 NAIA Women’s Flag Football Finals in the near future.

Have there been any preliminary discussions about adding men's flag football to the NAIA list of sports?

The NAIA is unique in that our membership drives the process when a sport becomes recognized. NAIA institutions declare which sports they will sponsor through our Declaration of Intent process – schools submit which sports they sponsor by June 1 annually for the next academic year. Though there have not been specific discussions surrounding men’s flag football at this point.